Guest Interview with....

Author B.C. Burgess!!

AM: What inspired you to become a writer?

BC: I must confess, I didn’t have an epiphany or an artistic relative for a role model, and I haven’t always known I would be an author. I’ve always enjoyed writing, sure, but I wasn’t raised to believe being an author was a sensible option. A small town girl with no money or connections becoming a successful author? Unthinkable. So I didn’t even try. Nor did I find interest in other career fields.

There isn’t anything else you’d like to be besides a writer?

Well, let’s see. I’m pitifully tender-hearted, so skim off everything in the mental and physical health fields. I’m not organized, so there goes anything having to do with files, numbers and/or large amounts of money. I’m habitually late (it’s a sickness), I’m a night owl (we really do exist), flip-flops are my constant companions (I even buy toe-socks so I can where flip-flops in cold weather), and I hate wearing constricting clothing for a lengthy period of time, especially bras (seriously, they stress me out). What kind of career is there for someone like that? Desirable options were limited, so I ended up bouncing from job to job with no goal in mind for years.

When did you get serious about writing?

I became a mom when I was 24, and thanks to my hard-working husband, I was able to stay home with our son. This afforded me plenty of time to read, and man did I read, dozens of books, many different genres and lengths. I learned what I like and dislike about books, and over and over again I got my heart broken. I hated getting to the end of stories and saying goodbye to beloved characters. That’s when I decided to write my own series. The story would be suited to my tastes, and the characters would always be mine. Thus began the Mystic series, an adult fantasy romance written for no one other than myself. I had no intention of publishing. Not because writing for a living didn’t sound like a dream come true, but because I still believed getting published was equivalent to winning the million dollar lottery.

When did your viewpoint on publishing change?

When I fell in love with my characters. They stole my heart, and I suddenly yearned to share their amazing story with others. Actually, it might be more accurate to say I became addicted to my characters, obsessed with the task of moving them forward and seeing where they’ll end up. And it’s that addiction that fuels my passion for the world I created. It’s that addiction that pushed me to publish.

How did your need to write convince you to publish?

Well, my valid excuse to stay home and play in fantasy land started pre-K two years ago, and I was faced with two options.

1) I could shelve the books, forego my penniless passion, and get a real job. You know, prove I wasn’t sitting on the couch everyday watching Oprah.

2) Or I could do something with the story I had poured my heart and soul into for five years.

Giving up my addiction did not appeal to me at all, so I got serious about publishing. I took an on-line publishing course, sent off a few query letters, then waited months for negative replies. Soon my son was starting kindergarten and I was no closer to having a valid excuse to stay home and write. That’s about the time I heard about publishing on Amazon.

You’ve since published Descension, the first book in the Mystic series. Have you been pleased with the results?

I’ve been blown away by the results! Descension has been performing great on Amazon’s Kindle lists, hitting the best seller charts in both its categories. I gave away almost 17,000 eBooks June 14^th and 15^th, and the readers’ responses have been amazing! Descension is touching peoples’ hearts, which is exactly what I hoped for. When I fell in love with the series, I told myself “If just one person loves these books half as much as I do, I’ll consider them a success.” I wasn’t even excluding my mom from that. Now dozens of strangers have come to my Facebook page to tell me they love Descension! Its success has been overwhelming and wonderful, and I’m so happy I was able to share the story with the world. And I’m dying to get the next book out.

When can we look forward to book 2?

September! Providing all goes well with my editor and graphics company, book 2 will release in September.

Please, tell us about Descension.

The entire Mystic series follows Layla Callaway, who is no ordinary woman. In fact, she’s about as extraordinary as a person can get. But she doesn’t know that. Descension begins on Layla’s twenty-first birthday, a time when most people celebrate, but Layla feels as empty as a black hole. Her mom, who was her only relative, her best friend, and her rock, died a few months ago, leaving her lonely and depressed. Shortly after her birthday, Layla’s desolate life gets flipped upside-down when she learns she was adopted under mysterious circumstances. She has a family, somewhere, and she aches to find them, no matter how much she tries to avoid setting herself up for more disappointment.

The Mystic series will consist of at least five books, and Descension is the basis and build-up to Layla’s fantastic yet dangerous journey. It introduces the drool-worthy hero, a few wicked antagonists, the incredible magic, and it contains an in-depth and touching back story that tends to leave readers in tears. Throughout the series, you’ll find violence and adult sexual content, but above all, Mystic is an emotionally driven story that focuses heavily on the characters and their relationships through thoughtful dialogue and trying situations. It’s a magical journey of epic romance!

Where can people find you on the web?

Until I get an interactive website set up, my favorite hangout place is Facebook. If you leave a post on my Facebook fan page, I’ll do my best to reply, and it’s the first place I go with news about my work. If you’re not on Facebook, please feel free to email me. I love hearing from my readers!

My Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/B-C-Burgess/130722120376976

My email – b.c@bcburgess.com

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My review of Descension: 5 Star LOVED it!!

The first book in the Mystic series was a fanstastic read from start to finish. Descension introduces the story of Layla, who begins an epic journey into discovering her mysterious past of where she truly comes from. Along the way, she meets the very drool worthy and magical Quinlan (Quin for short) who shows her the magic she is capable of and also provides a key to her past.

I won't go into details, this is a MUST read and would not want to spoil anything. This story made me laugh, made my heart melt and brought me to tears. I truly enjoyed reading it and am very much looking forward to the second book in the series. Excellent Job, B.C.!!